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5 Ways to Remove Bad Odors and Keep a Clean Refrigerator

Have you ever opened up your refrigerator and discovered a surprisingly bad odor? They can appear quickly and catch you off guard, lingering for days, sometimes weeks.

However, getting rid of that horrible scent isn’t always as easy as throwing away the spoilt cheese or wiping away the food spillage on the second shelf. Sometimes, you can remove all of the food, just to find that the bad odor lingers. That’s when it’s time to pull out the cleaning supplies and give your refrigerator the clean it deserves.

Don’t let bad odors contaminate your food and the inside of your refrigerator. Here are five ways to get rid of bad odors and achieve a clean refrigerator:

1. Give it a real good clean!

This isn’t rocket science, but it’s the first place to start when trying to tackle bad fridge odors. As a bad smell can contaminate much of the interior, it’s important to give it a really good clean.

Remove all of the food and drink from within your refrigerator. If you want to keep the items chilled, place them into a cooler bag filled with ice.

Throw away any spoiled or out-of-date food.

Take out all of the shelves and scrub them with hot soapy water, before allowing to dry.

Sanitize the interior surfaces of the fridge by creating a cleaning solution of one tablespoon chlorine bleach and one gallon of water. Use this to scrub away grime and stains. This will bring out that true white color and help to minimize odors.

Dry the interior with a towel, before placing the shelves back in, along with your food and drink.

2. Fill a bowl with baking soda and leave it to sit within your fridge

Baking soda has odor-killing qualities that make it the perfect solution for absorbing bad scents.

Fill a bowl with baking soda.

Place this inside your refrigerator and close the door.

Allow to sit for a couple of hours.

If the bad scent lingers, try sprinkling baking soda over the shelves and leaving it to sit for two hours. Wipe the interior down with a mix of baking soda and water for a deep clean.

Sometimes particularly pungent food can cause bad scents inside your refrigerator. However, it isn’t always last night’s takeaway that is causing the problem. Food can easily make its way to the back of your refrigerator and be forgotten about, only to disintegrate and spoil.

Invest in airtight containers of various shapes and sizes.

If there are common items that are often placed inside your refrigerator, write a label out for these and use the same jar to contain them.

Place labels on items with use-by dates in order to avoid these from becoming spoiled.

4. Use lemons to keep a fresh and clean refrigerator

When life gives you lemons, use them to keep a clean refrigerator! Citrus acid is great for freshening up the interior of your refrigerator, and you can use it in the following ways:

Soak a few cotton balls in lemon juice and use these to wipe down the interior of your refrigerator. The lemon juice will create a pleasant fragrance.

Every so often, place a few slices of lemon on a plate and leave them to sit inside your fridge. They will soak up unpleasant scents and keep your fridge smelling great.

5. Make sure the temperature is correct

The temperature inside your refrigerator is very important. If it’s too warm, it can encourage microbial growth and quicken the deterioration of the food inside. This is just one of the reasons why antimicrobial kitchen appliances, such as refrigerators, are becoming a popular choice for consumers.

Ideally you want the temperature to be between 4 and 5 degrees (37-40 degrees Fahrenheit)

The temperature inside your freezer should be between -18 and -17 degrees (0-4 degrees Fahrenheit)

A refrigerator that is protected with Microban antimicrobial technology has the ability to inhibit microbial growth on the fridge surfaces, which can help to tackle odor-causing microbes.